"Help?"

After about a month of Colin's incessant whining of "Uhhhnnnn" to try and get something he wants, I finally sat down one day and with much patience and persistence taught him the word "help". Amazingly, even though he has very few words that he consistently uses, this one he picked up immediately.

Now, from every corner of the apartment, we hear "Help? help? help? help? help?" Often I feel as though I've buried a little bit of his stubborness I admired so much. But "help" is infinitely better to hear than "Uhhnnn!" I hope that has he settles into this new word a little, he will find a balance between figuring things out on his own, and asking for help with something he needs us for.

The other day I was home alone with Colin and feeling particularly ill, and so while he was reading in his room, I was resting on the couch. The next thing I heard was a large object being dragged along the ground, a whole lot of huffing and puffing, and after a few seconds, the beginnings of a tantrum. I could hear Colin dragging whatever it was he wanted, stomping his feet, and screaming in frustration. Listening carefully, I could tell Colin was making his way out of his room and toward me, and so I waited in patience. Before long, I saw a struggling little head appear in the hallway as Colin lugged the large knapsack we use as a diaper bag/overnight bag for him. He yelled as he tugged and just as he came into my sight, he stopped in his tracks, whipped around to face me and in all innocence inquired "help?" It was priceless. It was as though the previous minutes of struggling had disappeared in that tiny word, so confident was he that I would be able to ease this burden.